Six-year-old Otis crouches in the dark, waiting patiently.
Then with a flurry of arms and legs he pounces on a cane toad, picks it up, and tosses it in a bucket.
Otis and his eight-year-old sister, Frankie, have discovered the perfect summer holiday side hustle.
The young siblings are earning 10 cents for every leaping toad they catch near their home in Gympie, north of Brisbane.
Annie Brett said her son started capturing the invasive pests in the family yard and “managed to eradicate pretty much all the toads” before the neighbour invited him over.
Otis began in his own backyard before stepping things up a notch. (Supplied: Annie Brett)
“He went and toad-busted her garden and she ended up giving him some pocket money for it,” she said.
“He was elated and obviously wanted to go back again and try and capitalise.”
Within hours of advertising her son’s services on a community social media page, Mrs Brett was “bombarded” with enquiries and support.
Passion for nature
According to his mum, Otis is a “little wildlife warrior” and his main motivation is protecting the green tree frogs threatened by cane toads.
“Like all six-year-olds, he just loves being outside and chasing bugs and different animals,” Mrs Brett said.
Mrs Brett said Otis inspired older sister Frankie to “come on board” — although she was a little less hands-on.
“Her preferred method is [using] one of those picky-upy sticks,” she said.
Otis uses gloves and works with his hands, while Frankie prefers to keep her distance by using a rubbish-collecting tool. (Supplied: Annie Brett)
Coordinating the logistics of visiting three houses a night had turned into a part-time job for the parents.
“It’s become like an operation … I’ve broken it up into areas, so I’m not driving here, there and everywhere,” Mrs Brett said.
“My husband and I have been joking saying we need to start taking a cut for the admin and get him an ABN at this rate.”
Mrs Brett said Otis and Frankie had captured about 500 toads in their first two weeks.
“Our freezer is getting pretty full,” she quipped.
“He wears his gloves, he’s got his bucket, he’s got a head torch on, and he just scouts around the gardens and just grabs them with his hands and pops them in the bucket.”
Finance education
Mrs Brett said the venture had been a great way to teach the kids about money with cash distributed between three jars: spending, saving, and giving.
Otis and Frankie split the proceeds 50:50 then allocate the money into different jars. (Supplied: Annie Brett)
“He’s already hitting me up to go and spend some of his money … I think he’s got his eye on some Lego,” she said.
“He’s so motivated and just so stoked.
“It’ll definitely be one school holidays to remember.”
Who ya gonna call? (Supplied: Annie Brett)
Another benefit has been meeting lots of people in the community, and seeing other “indoorsy” kids getting inspired by Otis.
Mrs Brett said the children at one house ended up joining in.
“They were just in awe of him diving on toads and grabbing them with his hands,” she said.
“You could see how elated [the parents] were that they’d overcome their fear.”
Great Cane Toad Bust
Otis has accidentally timed his new hobby to coincide with the Great Cane Toad Bust.
Environmental charity Watergum runs the event every year in January.
Last year about 1,600 people joined in and humanely removed 50,000 pests from the wild.
Invasive species manager Kelsi Taylor said Otis was “absolutely fantastic”.
Volunteers in Boonah in Queensland’s Scenic Rim region during the Great Cane Toad Bust last year. (Supplied: Watergum)
“If he can do it, everyone can do it, so hopefully he inspires more people to get involved,” she said.
After just 102 cane toads were introduced in 1935, there are now an estimated 200 million cane toads hopping across Australia.
So while every removal counts, Ms Taylor was pragmatic.
“We’re not going to be able to completely eradicate cane toads,” she said.
“That population has just absolutely exploded and we’re just trying to do every little bit we can to bring it back down and stop it from further exploding.”
There are humane ways to dispose of toads. (Supplied: Watergum)
Ms Taylor said the pests were marching south at a rate of 50 kilometres a year and were now common around Byron Bay with reported sightings in Coffs Harbour.
The RSPCA-recommended way to kill cane toads is through “stepped hypothermia or the fridge-freezer method,” Ms Taylor said.
“It’s kind of like froggy hibernation.”
This involves placing the toads in a fridge for 24 hours, then the freezer for another 24 hours so they die painlessly.
The dead toads can then be composted or put in a rubbish bin.
As the children prepare to return to school, Otis and Frankie will have to scale back their weeknight adventures — for now.
“It may become a regular school holiday thing,” Mrs Brett said.
“As long as they’re having fun, we’ll keep going with it.”
